“HALT! In the name of Celestia!”

Ash dived down to street level, pulling up at the last moment to prevent himself from crashing into the hard cobblestone paths below. At the speed he had been flying at, it probably would have been messy.

He sped through the streets, dodging streetlamps and other obstacles, the pair of pegasi guards behind him. The guards were fast fliers, especially considering their armour and bulky size, but not fast enough. Their prey was gaining ground on them, increasing the distance with every passing moment.

Ash released an inward sigh of relief. Maybe I don’t have to fight thes-

The air was forced out of Ash’s lungs as something slammed into his back and pummelled him into the ground. As he realised a guard had dived on him he felt the weight on his back lift. The pair rolled across the ground, eventually coming to a halt as the two guards chasing him caught up.

Ash scrambled to stand, but his dizziness forced him back down. He tried again, but another weight sent him flying into a wall. Despite the pain of the impacts, the grey Pegasus noticed that he was relatively unharmed.

His mind was brought back to the present when a voice tore through his thoughts.

“Got you now!”

Ash barely managed to leap aside, out of the way of the buck one of the guards had let loose. He screamed in anger and leapt on the guard, lashing out repeatedly with his hooves. The guard cried out in pain as one of his wings was bent in an unnatural direction by the assault.

Lights came on in the buildings surrounding them, and the dark silhouettes of ponies moving inside could also be seen. A second guard grabbed Ash’s mane in his teeth and, with a single heave, tossed the smaller Pegasus aside.

He hit the ground and rolled back into a crouching position. The guard charged, but Ash was ready. In a move he had learned from Applejack when helping out on the farm, he leapt forward, bringing his hind legs up underneath him and spinning 180 degrees on his fore legs. The guard saw what he was doing and tried to slow himself, but the momentum he had built up kept pushing him forward. Ash kicked his hind legs out in a furious buck.

He felt his hooves strike home, and the resistance gave way almost instantly. A loud snap echoed through the street. Ash turned to see his foe hit the ground, the guard’s face crushed up and bleeding from various lacerations where the skin had split, with his head wrenched backwards beyond where it should safely be.

I did that? Ash suddenly felt sick in his stomach.

The third guard stood his ground, but didn’t attack. He tried to hide his fear, but Ash could see it in his eyes. Feeling a sudden urge to throw up, Ash decided to leave.

“Follow me and I’ll kill you too.” He tried to make himself sound threatening, but he couldn’t hide the trembling in his voice.

Without waiting he took off, fresh blood still dripping from his hooves.

The fire raged through the hospital, smoke blotting out the moon in the sky and screams filling the air. Ponies rushed to control the blaze, and managed to contain it to a single section of the hospital.

Thankfully, a large group of Celestia’s guardsponies had been in the area, and were able to aid in evacuating the patients. Unfortunately, two unicorn battle mages had been trapped inside whilst attempting to recover the body of a recently deceased pegasus.

Neither survived.

Ash dove headfirst into the freezing water with a mighty splash. He resurfaced moments later, gasping for air. Shaking the water out of his mane, he swam to the shore of the small pond where he began to scrub furiously at his coat.

So much blood.

His hooves trembled as he rubbed them together in the water, leaving a small red cloud under its surface.

How many is that now? Three? Four?

His heart was racing, and despite his efforts the red still stained his fur. With a cry of frustration he threw himself into the icy water and began to thrash violently under the surface.

How many more will die because of me?

His lungs began to burn for air and the cold bit into his skin forcing him to the surface. He gasped loudly as soon as his head broke through the surface, and he pulled himself ashore, shivering.

Ash looked down at his coat. Red stains still marked his fur, but most of the blood was gone.

What the fuck am I going to do?

His gaze drifted toward the castle. It stood like a white mountain, illuminating the sky around it. The clouds around it were constantly cleared to prevent intruders from using them as cover. Ash could see guards patrolling around the mighty structure.

I can’t get in there, not without being seen. I’ll have to wait if I want to see Dash, maybe when she leaves for Ponyville? No, Celestia will be expecting that. Fuck! What has that bitch told her? If she’s hurt her... Ash growled without thinking.

No, she’s an element bearer. Celestia wouldn’t... she couldn’t do that. Ponyville’s my best bet now, but the princess will probably be expecting that. Maybe I can catch her on the way?

A shadow crossed overhead, and Ash looked up to see three pegasi guards passed overhead. Ash stood as still as he could manage with his uncontrollable shivering. Thankfully, the guards didn’t seem to notice and continued on their patrol.

“The cold will soon take its toll if you remain where you are.”

“Fuck you.” The Pegasus growled.

“Say what you will, you are still putting yourself at risk.”

The voice was right. Ash knew he couldn’t stay in the park, or the city for that matter.

I have to keep moving. I’ll stay outside the city and wait for my chance to see Dash.

Having made his decision, Ash spread his wings, but decided against it. They’ll be expecting me to fly. I’ll stay grounded... for now.

Without a word, the grey Pegasus set off into the night, leaving the crimson clouds in the water to disperse.

A cordon was quickly set up in the street, and the residents evacuated. Guardsponies were everywhere, examining the crime scene or just keeping onlookers away.

In the middle of the street lay a body, the white fur and shining golden armour marking the deceased as a Royal Guard. Surrounding the body was a pool of fresh blood, gleaming in the light. The body sported horrific injuries, including a broken neck and skull. The victim’s face was unrecognisable, as it had been completely crushed.

A guard captain stood over the body, looking down on his fallen comrade. “Rest in peace.” He muttered.

The sound of hoofsteps behind him caused the captain to turn. Before him stood a black coated unicorn clad in dark armour. His face was covered by a helmet with reflective black goggles concealing his eyes. A patch on the unicorn’s shoulder displayed a white sun being covered by a black moon.

“Are you in charge here?” the black clad unicorn asked.

“That I am. And you are?”

“Lieutenant Shadow Spark. I have a message from the princesses.”

“Which is?”

“By the authority of princesses Celestia and Luna, you and your guardsponies are now under our command. The Eclipse are taking over this operation.”

Slipping out of the city had been easy enough for the grey Pegasus. He had waited in the shadows, observing the guards on their patrols. Ash noticed that some groups were following set patrols, whilst other, larger groups seemed to be cruising around the city at random.

Search parties, he thought.

He didn’t remember how long he had waited, but soon enough his patience was rewarded. There had been confusion among the guard when several black clad unicorns had shown up barking orders. Ash saw his chance and seized it, diving over one of the city’s safety rails and down the side of the mountain the city rested on before any of the guards could notice.

After a brief freefall, he spread his wings and slowed his descent. It had been clear skies from there on, and Ash set a course for Ponyville, which was marked by a spot of light in the land before the grey pegasus. Staying low to the ground to minimize the chance of being seen, he sped towards his target as fast as he could.

The wind flowing through his mane and the burn of his wings at work brought the feeling of freedom, and for an instant he felt at peace. But the feeling didn’t last, as the cruel truth of reality came crashing down in the form of memories.

The shadow, his eyes, the ponies that he killed, the voice in his head... and her.

Will I ever get to live a normal life? He wondered, No, I’m a murderer... a monster.

Tears began to form in his eyes, but he shut them and willed himself not to cry.

Just get to the town, wait for Dash. We can figure this out.

... I hope.

A lone unicorn sat before a desk in a room lit only by a single lantern on the hard wood surface of the desk. His short mane was jet black, and his coat a few shades lighter. Orange eyes stared down at the reports in front of him, darting back and forth between the words on the pages. The room brightened slightly as his horn, or rather the remaining two thirds of the magical appendage, glowed a brilliant orange. The papers before him glowed with an aura of the same colour as they shifted and reorganized into a neat pile.

A loud knock on the door echoed through the room. The stallion raised his head.

“Enter.”

The metal door opened and light poured into the room, washing away the shadows and revealing the black clothes, and lunar eclipse patch on each of the unicorn’s shoulders. A second unicorn entered the room, dressed in a similar uniform, but with the addition of several armour plates and a helmet and goggles that concealed his face.

The newcomer bowed his head. “Commander.”

“Report, soldier.”

“Searches have found traces of blood in a pond at the Redflower parks, along with odd magical energy, but there’s no other sign of the target. We believe he has escaped the city.”

The commander placed his front hooves on the desk before speaking. “This was expected. Do we have any leads on his whereabouts?”

“The most likely destinations are Cloudsdale and Ponyville, the target’s hometown, but there’s every chance he’ll disappear into the country.”

“Sweep the countryside, and send small detachments to Cloudsdale and Ponyville, but keep them out of sight. We don’t need public attention.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Kill the target and bring back the body. The princess has given us permission to use any means necessary, only a few strings attached.”

“Strings, sir?”

“The target is in close with Loyalty, and the princess has made it very clear that Loyalty is not to be harmed. Understood?”

The unicorn stiffened his posture and saluted. “Sir, yes, sir!”

With a nod, the commander dismissed the masked stallion, who turned and left the room. The commander watched the soldier leave, and continued to stare through the open door after his departure.

“Give’em hell, soldier.”

A/N: Don't forget to rate/comment/track! All characters belong to their respective owners.